BIEBER TO HOST PUNK’D?
According to Deadline.com, Justin Bieber could be the next host of MTV’s Punk’d. The website reports that the 16-year-old pop sensation is close to signing a deal to revive the show, which went off the air back in 2007. The prank series’ original host, Ashton Kutcher, will reportedly stay on as an executive producer. If all goes well, Punk’d will likely return in 2011.
GAGA APPROACHES ONE-BILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS
Lady Gaga keeps reaching milestone after milestone. According to Billboard, the pop star is set to surpass one-billion all-time YouTube views of her videos later this month. Gaga averages around 1.8-million views per day, so if she keeps up that pace, she’ll hit one-billion right around October 20th.
KE$HA LAWSUIT UPDATE!
Ke$ha has flipped the tables on her former manager, who is suing the singer for 14-million dollars in alleged unpaid commissions. According to Billboard, the singer is asking the California Labor Commissioner to declare her contract with DAS Communications void because DAS acted as an unlicensed talent agent while representing her. That’s illegal in California, where only registered agents can “procure” work for clients. Ke$ha, whose real name is Kesha Rose Sebert, was sued in New York in May for allegedly breaching a 2006 deal to pay New York-based DAS and principal David Sonenberg 20 percent of her music earnings.
JT TAPS ELTON JOHN FOR BENEFIT CONCERT
Justin Timberlake announced that Elton John will join him as a special guest at Justin Timberlake and Friends concert on October 23rd in Las Vegas. The event, which benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children, also features performances by Christina Aguilera, Diddy-Dirty Money, Lady Antebellum and others. It takes place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s Theatre for the Performing Arts.
COOK WANTS YOU TO BUY ARCHULETA’S ALBUM
David Cook and David Archuleta bonded during their time on American Idol, and it appears that it still holds to this day. Cook, who was the winner of Season Seven of the hit show, wrote on his Twitter account that seventh season runner-up Archuleta has a new album out in stores and that people should go pick it up. Archuleta’s most recent disc is titled The Other Side of Down.
KANYE ANNOUNCED ALBUM TITLE
Kanye West has finally made up his mind as to what his fifth album will be titled. The “Power” emcee took to his Twitter account to announce that the project will be called My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and fans can expect the LP to arrive on November 22nd.
RIHANNA BASHES PERRY, GAGA AND KE$HA
Does Rihanna not think much of her pop-music peers? According to the New York Daily News, the “Umbrella” singer was speaking to the BBC about her forthcoming album Loud, and said that she doesn’t “want the generic pop record that Ke$ha or Lady Gaga or Katy Perry would do” and that “every song” is tailored to her liking. The comments were unexpected because Rihanna and Perry are very good friends, while Ri-Ri chose Ke$ha to open up for her on her recent Last Girl on Earth tour.
NO WEDDING GIFTS FOR KATY AND RUSSELL
Katy Perry and Russell Brand don’t want any wedding gifts. The comedian told a British radio station that because both he and his fiancé have “good jobs… it seems indulgent to ask for more things.” Brand then said that they are going to donate whatever money they receive as presents to charity. The pair is rumored to be tying the knot in India later this month.
P!NK TO MARRY GAY COUPLE IN NEW VIDEO
P!nk is casting for a music video for her new song “Raise Your Glass,” and according to PerezHilton.com, the “So What” singer is looking for “real gay couples” to audition to be the leads in the clip, because P!nk is going to marry them in the video. No word on when the video will begin shooting.
LADY A’S HOLIDAY ALBUM HITS STORES NEXT WEEK
Lady Antebellum are getting fans into the holiday spirit with the release of their six-song EP, A Merry Little Christmas. The band recorded the EP in Nashville in July, and felt like the experience was somewhat odd due to the 100-degree weather. Dave Haywood told Billboard.com that to help “get into the spirit,” the group covered the studio with their Christmas decorations. The EP features one new song, “On This Winter’s Night,” and five holiday classics, including “Silver Bells.” A Merry Little Christmas will be available on October 12th exclusively through Target stores.
SWIFT SPEAKS TO GLAMOUR MAGAZINE
Taylor Swift recently sat down with Glamour magazine to discuss her new album, Speak Now, and the inspiration behind the 14 songs she solely wrote for it. Taylor admits she’s eager for the guys she has written about to hear her new songs. Though Swift is known for her done-me-wrong lyrics, she does write about happy moments in her relationships. She told Glamour, “I do write nice songs about the guys who are nice to me! Eventually, I’m sure one of them will write a response–that’s a pretty scary concept, actually! But I make sure I only write bad songs about the ones who deserve it.” The track “Back to December” is the first song Taylor has written apologizing to a boy, which is rumored to be Taylor Lautner. When asked if the two have remained friends she said, “He’s one of my best friends. He’s wonderful, and we’ll always be close. I’m so thankful for that.” Taylor will be featured in the November issue of Glamour Magazine.
NICKI REMIXES WILLOW SMITH’S “WHIP MY HAIR”
Everyone fell in love with nine-year-old Willow Smith after she dropped her first single, “Whip My Hair” late last month. The daughter of Will and Jada recently signed with Jay-Z’s Live Nation and now has Nicki Minaj adding verses to the official remix of the buzz track.
SONG LINK: http://www.mediafire.com/?55i8jah9j8hmf6n
KERI HILSON TO WORK WITH CIARA?
According to Rap-Up.com, Keri Hilson has spilled the beans that she wouldn’t turn down the idea of recording with her rumored rival, Ciara. The “Pretty Girl Rock” singer stated, “I’ll be honest, I can’t say that we haven’t had some talks about [a duet], little whispers about doing a song together, it just hasn’t happened.” As far as any beef or competition, Keri feels “it’s not real” and added, “We do two different things, we come from two different places musically.” The singers will square off when their respective albums, No Boys Allowed and Basic Instinct, drop on the same day, November 30th.
KT TUNSTALL DISSES SIMON COWELL
KT Tunstall is not a fan of Simon Cowell. In an interview with British paper the Daily Mail, the “Suddenly I See” singer said that she “hates” what the former American Idol judge has done to the music industry because “he’s clogged it up with all these people and it’s stopping real artists getting deals.” Tunstall recently released her third studio album, Tiger Suit.
WINEHOUSE NOT READY FOR KIDS
Amy Winehouse is not ready to have children. In an interview with Britain’s Glamour magazine, the embattled singer said that as of right now, she’s “happy to be the godmum or the fun auntie,” and stressed that she’s “not going to be getting pregnant in the next nine months!”
HEAR A SAMPLE OF DUFFY’S NEW SONG
Duffy has just released a sample of what will be her new single, “Well, Well, Well,” which features The Roots. Hear 15-seconds of the tune now at IAmDuffy.com.
U2 TO PLAY GLASTONBURY?
Are U2 set to play next year’s Glastonbury festival? The Irish band were scheduled to headline the annual event last year but had to pull out after Bono needed emergency back surgery. Nothing has been confirmed but the band alluded that they have exciting plans for 2011 and encouraged fans to buy tickets to the event via U2.com.
BILLIE JOE BOOSTS BROADWAY SALES
It seems Billie Joe Armstrong joining the American Idiot Broadway show was good for sales. According to Billboard, tickets sales were over one-million dollars last week after the singer joined the show for eight performances. The Green Day frontman said on Twitter that he was sad to leave the role of “St. Jimmy” behind, but alluded that he may return to the Great White Way in the future.
LIL WAYNE GOES INTO SOLITARY
According to the New York Daily News, Lil Wayne was forced into solitary confinement after contraband — an MP3 player charger and headphones — were found in his prison cell last May. However, the minor infraction will not disrupt Wayne’s early release date — which was contingent upon good behavior. A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Correction explained to MTV News that “it’s a serous infraction because it’s contraband, but it’s not a weapon, and by comparison to a more violent infraction of the rules, like assaulting another inmate or an officer, [it’s not as serious].” The mogul is expected to walk out of Riker’s Island on November 4th.
WYCLEF NAMED FELLOW AT BROWN UNIVERSITY
Wyclef Jean has just been appointed as a visiting fellow for Brown University’s Department of Africana Studies. The Huffington Post reports the entertainer will get the opportunity to participate in lectures and engage the school’s Haitian initiative. Clef said in a statement, “I hope to make a genuine contribution to the rich intellectual community at the University and to its Haitian Initiative in particular.”
Jean was recently honored at Harvard University and received an honorary doctorate from Western Connecticut State University.
